Folding crib



June 4. 1968 J. T. JOHNSON Em. 3,386,112

lFOLDING CRIB Filed March so', 1967 /N VEA/70H5 JAM/50N 7.' JOHNSON,

PETE/Q A. JANN'OTTA,

[Mu rE/e JAMES Aura/546K ar THE/,e Afro/mers /e/e/s, K/ECH, RUSSEL/ KERN United States Patent O 3,386,112 FOLDING CRIB Jamison T. Johnson, 44-301 Sun Gold St., Indio, Calif. 92201, and Peter A. .lannotta, Indio, and Walter .lames Lauterback, Glendale, Calif.; said Jannotta and said Lauterback assignors to said Johnson Filed Mar. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 627,068 7 Claims. (Cl. 5-99) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLGSURE A folding crib having a bottom wall hinged to swing upwardly against one side wall, and having end walls each composed of a series of three panels hingedly interconnected for relative pivotal movement about vertical axes, the panels at one side of the crib being rigidly connected to the corresponding side wall and the panels at the other side being hingedly connected to the corresponding side Wall. Two of the panels of each end Wall lie between the bottom wall and one side wall when the crib is folded. A lguide means interconnecting the side walls guides sam-e toward and away from each other in parallel relation when the bottom wall is in its retracted position. An actuating means connected to one side wall and to the guide means moves the side walls toward and away from each other, and locks the crib in its folded and unfolded positions.

Summary and objects of the invention A general object of the invention is to provide a folding crib which folds easily into a compact package Without the removal of any parts thereof, and which is automati-cally locked in either its folded or unfolded position.

More particularly, a primary object of the invention is to provide a folding crib having end walls each comprising a series of three panels hingedly interconnected for relative pivotal movement about vertical axes, the panels at one side of the crib being rigidly connected to the corresponding side wall thereof, and the panels at the opposite side of the crib being hingedly connected to the corresponding side wall thereof.

Another object is to provide a crib having a bottom wall pivotable upwardly into a retracted position between the rigid end-wall panels and adjacent the inner surface of the corresponding side wall of the crib. With this construction, the rigid end-wall panels and the corresponding crib side wall provide a compartment to receive the retracted bottom wall, while the other two panels of each end wall pivot inwardly into positions between the retracted bottom wall of the crib and the opposite side wall thereof. The end result is a very compact package for storage, transport, and the like, which is an important feature of the invention.

A further object of the invention is to provide guide means interconnecting the two side walls of the crib for guiding such side w-alls toward and away from each other while maintaining them in parallel relation at all times.

Still another object is to provide actuating means connected to the guide means for moving the side walls toward and away lfrom each other, and for locking them in their relatively contracted and extended positions, so that the crib is automatically locked in its folded and unfolded positions.

Yet another object is to provide a folding crib of the foregoing nature wherein the guide means includes two guide links spanning the space between the side Walls of the crib and having ends pivotally connected to the respective side walls, two track means respectively extending ICC longitudinally of the side walls for respectively guiding the other ends of the guide links longitudinally of the side walls, and ymeans pivotally interconnecting the guide links intermediate their ends. With this construction, the two side walls of the crib are maintained in parallel relation at all times in their guided movement toward and away from each other.

An additional object is to provide such a folding crib wherein the actuating means for folding and unfolding the crib comprises an actuating lever pivotally connected to one of the side walls, and an actuating link having its ends respectively pivotally connected to the actuating lever and to one of the yguide links.

The foregoing objects, advantages, features and results of the present invention, together with various other objects, advantages, features and results thereof which will be evident to those skilled in the folding crib art in the light of this disclosure, may Ibe achieved with the exemplary embodiment of the invention described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Description of the drawing In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational View of a folding crib of the invention in its unfolded position;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view taken as indicated by the arrowed line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the the arrowed line 3-3 of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the crib of the invention in its folded position;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the crib in its folded position; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional View taken as indicated by the arrowed line 6 6 of FIG. 4.

Detailed description of the invention Referring to the drawing, design-ated generally therein by the numeral 10 is a folding crib which embodies the invention and which includes horizontally spaced side wall-s 12 and 14, hereinafter referred to as front and rear walls, respectively. The front wall 12 includes vertically spaced, horizontally extending, upper and lower panels 16 and 18, the upper panel being hingedly connected to the lower panel by a horizontal hinge means 20, extending longitudinally of the front wall 12, so that the upper panel may be swung downwardly for easier access to the interior of Ithe crib, as in attending to a baby therein, changing sheets, or the like. The hinge means 20 is shown as a piano hinge, but it will be understood that any other suitable type may be used.

The front wall -12 of the folding crib 10 includes two corner posts 22 at the respective ends thereof. The lower panel l18 of the front wall 12 is rigidly joined to the corner posts y22 in any suitable manner. The upper panel lr6 may be latched to the corner posts 22 in any suitable manner, not shown. The rear wall-14 also includes corner posts 2 4 at its respective ends, the rear wall including an intermediate panel 26 of -any suitable construction rigidly connected at its ends to the corner posts 24. The front and rear corner posts 22 and 2'4 are provided at their lower ends with suitable casters 28, as is conventional.

The folding crib |10 includes -t-wo horizontally spaced end Walls 3l)V each comprising horizontally spaced, vertically extending panels 32, 34 and 36. The panels 32 are rigidly connected to the corner posts 24 of the rear wall 14 in any suitable manner, the rear wall :14 and the panels 32 thus forming a rigid structure. The panels 34 are connected to the panels 32 by vertical hinge means 38 and the p'anels 36 are connected to the panels 34 by vertical hinge means 40. The panels 36 are also connected to the front corner posts Z2 by vertical hinge means 42. All of these hinge means are shown as piano hinges, but hinges of other suitable types may be used.

With the foregoing construction, the hinged panels 34 and 36 of the end walls 39 may be folded inwardly adjacent the front wall 12of the crib it), as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawing. Thus, when in its folded position, the crib 1t) forms a compact package for transport, storage, or the like.

The folding crib '10 includes a bottom wall 44 which, if desired, may take theform of a framed crib spring, not shown. The bottom Wall 44 may also ca-rry a crib mattress 46. A horizontal hinge means 48, parallel to the rear wall 14, pivotally connects one edge of the bottom wall 4'4't-o the rigid structure formed by the rear wall 14 and the end panels 32. In the construction illustrated, the hinge means 4S comprises two longitudinally spaced hinges 50 interconnecting the bottom Wall 44 and the end panels 32. With this construction, the bottom Wall 44, and the mattress 45, may be pivoted upwardly into a retracted position wherein it is disposed adjacent and parallel to the inner surface of the rear wall y14, and between such rear wall and the inwardly-folded end panels 34 and 35 -when the crib is in its folded position. In use, the edge of the bottom wall 44 opposite the hinged edge thereof rests on a support 512 carried by and extending longitudinally of the lower, fixed panel 18l of the front wall 12.

The fol-ding crib 1t) also includes a guide means 54 interconnecting the front and rear wal-ls 12 and 14 for guiding same to-ward and away from each other in parallel relation, in folding and unfolding the crib, when the bottom wall 44 is in its retracted position. With thi-s construction, the hinged end panels 34 and 36 fold inwardly between the front wall "12 and the bottom wall 44 when the bottom wall is in its retracted position and the front and rear walls are guided toward each other in parallel relation by the guide means 54.

The guide means S4, which is located below the operative position of the bottom wall 44, includes longitudinally-extending rail or track members 56y suitably rigidly connected to the lower panel 418 of the front wall 12 and the panel 26 of the rear wall 14. Two guide links 58 have ends respectively connected to the track members 56 by pivot means 60. The guide links `58 form an X and sp'an the space between the track members 5'6 of the respective front and rear walls -12 and 14, being pivotally interconnected intermediate their ends by a pivot means 62. The other Vends of the guide 4links 58 carry track following pins 64 disposed in and movable yalong longitudinally extending track slots 66 in the respective track members 56.

The foregoing construction of the guide means 54 provides a parallelogram-type linkage interconnecting the front and rear walls .12 and 14 of the folding crib 10 in such a manner that these walls are maintained in parallel relation at all times as they are moved toward and away from ech other in folding vand unfolding the crib. This wil be apparent from a comparison of FIGS. 3 `and 4 of the drawing.

The folding crib itl includes an 4actuating means 68 connected to the guide means 54 for moving 'the front and rear walls |12 and 14 toward and away from each other. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the actuating means v6'8 includes an actuating lever 70 pivotally connected intermediate its ends, at 71, to one of the track members 56, preferably for track member on the front wall 12 of the crib 10 for maximum accessibility. An actuating link 72 has one end pivotally connected to one end of the actuating lever 70 at 74, and has its other end pivotally connected to one `of the guide links 58, at 76, adjacent the track following pin 64 on that guide link. As will be apparent, by pivoting the actuating lever 70 from the position shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG. 4, the crib .10 is folded. By pivoting the actuating lever in the opposite direction, the crib is unfolded.

Considering the operation of the invention, it will be assumed that thc crib 1t) is in its unfolded position and is to be folded. The first step is to pivot the bottom wall 44 upwardly into its retracted position, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. Then, the actuating lever 7i) is pivoted from the position shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG. 4, preferably after manually breaking the hinged joints represented by the hinge means 40 between the end panels 34 and the end panels 36. Such swinging of the actuating lever 70 through an angle of substantially 180 results in folding the hinged end panels 34 and 36 inwardly between the front wall 12 of the folding crib 10 and the retracted bottom wall 44 thereof, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawing. Unfolding of the crib 10 may be effected essentially byrreversing the foregoing operation. i

Although an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed herein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims appearing hereinafter.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a folding crib, or the like, the combination of:

(a) two horizontally spaced side walls;

(b) two horizontally spaced end Walls each comprising horizontally spaced, vertically extending, first, second and third panels;

(c) said rst panels of said end walls being rigidly connected to one of said side walls at the respective ends thereof;

(d) two vertical hinge means respectively pivotally connecting said third panels of said end walls to the other of said side walls at the respective ends thereof;

(e) other vertical hinge means respectively pivotally connecting said second panels of said end Walls to said first and third panels thereof;

(f) a bottom wall;

(g) horizontal hinge means, parallel to said side walls, for pivotally connecting one edge of said bottom wall to the rigid structure formed by said one side wall and said iirst panels of said end Walls; and

(h) whereby said bottom wall may be pivoted upwardly into a retracted position between said rst panels of said end walls and adjacent and parallel to the inner surface of said one side Wall.

2. A folding crib, or the like, as set forth in claim l,

including:

(a) guide means interconnecting said side Walls for guiding same toward and away from each other in parallel relation when said bottom wall is in its retracted position; and

(b) whereby said second and third panels of said end walls pivot inwardly between said other side wall and said bottom wall when said bottom wall is in its retracted position and said side walls are guided toward each other in parallel relation by said guide means.

3. A folding crib, or the like, according to claim 2, including actuating means connected to said guide means for moving said side walls toward .and away from each other.

4. A folding crib, or the like, as defined in claim 3, wherein said guide means includes:

(a) two guide links spanning the space between said side walls;

(b) two pivot means respectively connecting corresponding ends of said guide links to said side Walls;

(c) two track means respectively extending longitudinally of said side walls for respectively guiding the other ends of said guide links longitudinally of said side walls; and

(d) another pivot means pivotally interconnecting said guide links intermediate their ends.

5 6 5. A folding crib, or the like, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said horizontal hinge means pivotally connects wherein said actuating means includes: said bottom wall to said rst panels of said end Walls.

(a) an actuating lever pivotally connected to one of said side walls; and References Cited (b) an actuating link having its ends respectively piv- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Lc i c v .n c f otftlly c o inected to s'nd actuatrn,D lever nind one o 3,094,714 6/,1963 Lutes 5 99 Sad gmde Lm' 3110 913 11/1963 L d 5 99 6. A folding crib, or the like, according to claim 5, an ry Wherfm Said .track means compl-1.56 trCk members re' CASMR A, NUNBERG, Prinml'y Examiner. spectively having track slots therein which rece1ve track ,L0 following pins on said other ends of said guide links. BOBBY R. GAY, Exmnmer.

"1'. A folding crib, or the like, as defined in claim 6, 

